Colorado stargazers have a lot to look forward to this December, with two meteor showers set to dazzle the night sky before year’s end.
First up, the Geminid meteor shower – which is widely regarded as the most active shower of the year – is set to Peak on the night of December 13 and into the next morning.
Geminids get their name because they appear to shoot from the constellation Gemini.
On typical years, the shower can produce 120 meteor per hour, but according to NASA, a waning gibbous moon could make them harder to view. Experts predict 30-40 meteors per hour to be visible to the naked human eye this year.
The weaker Ursid meteor shower is expected to peak between the night of December 22 and the early hours of the following morning. This shower typically only produces between 5-10 meteors per hour.
The shower is named for the Ursa Minor constellation because the meteors appear to radiate from it.
“Despite its usual tameness, the Ursid meteor shower has wowed skywatchers with some genuinely remarkable displays over the years. In 1945 and 1986, for example, up to 120 and 90 meteors per hour (opens in new tab) were observed, respectively,” a report from Space.com said.
For the best view, find a spot with limited light pollution. Keep in mind that it’s getting cold in Colorado, so prepare for the potential of dramatic weather changes.
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